Abu Dhabi is one of the world's least congested cities

Despite its population of 1.7million, UAE capital Abu Dhabi is one of the world's least congested cities, according to a report by the TomTom traffic index.

Peak traffic hour travel in Abu Dhabi takes only 14 minutes longer than during non-peak hours, a panel of international traffic experts at the TomTom Awards said at a press conference in the capital on Monday, reports Gulf News.

There has been a 6 percent increase in travel time during peak hours this year, as compared to 2016 but traffic experts consider this a natural result of population growth.

Abu Dhabi has also been rated the best among 390 cities that use infrastructure to manage its traffic flow in 2016. The TomTom traffic index ranked 390 cities based on congestion, using data collected from smartphone apps, GPS applications, and from taxi and bus monitoring systems. Only the city of Katowice, Poland had similar levels of congestion to Abu Dhabi in the group of cities with populations between one and eight million.

Abu Dhabi Report highlights:

Abu Dhabi has lowest level of traffic congestion among cities with one to eight million population

Abu Dhabi is the best city using infrastructure to manage traffic

The most congested areas in Abu Dhabi: Zayed the First Street (Electra Street), sections of Sultan Bin Zayed the First Street (Muroor Road), and roads near Musaffah

There is a 9,285km road network in Abu Dhabi

There is a 14 minutes increase in peak hour travel time in Abu Dhabi compared to non-peak hours